RLA Pastor's blog

​It was the French general and emperor Napoleon who wished to strike the word impossible from his dictionary. He said, “Impossible is a word to be found only in the dictionary of fools.” To Napoleon, no enemy was too strong; no army too numerous. Napoleon firmly believed that, that is, until he suffered a devastating defeat at the battle of Waterloo that brought his reign to a sudden and inglorious conclusion.

While Napoleon failed at having the word impossible removed from the dictionary, he succeeded in bringing a new meaning to the word Waterloo. When a person is said to have met their Waterloo, it means they have come up against their final and insurmountable challenge.

King Jehoshaphat probably felt like he was about to meet his Waterloo in 2 Chronicles 20. A confederacy of armies had invaded the southern kingdom of Judah and were preparing to attack. The army of Judah was hopelessly outnumbered, and Jehoshaphat was aware of it. From the human standpoint, it looked like it was over for Jehoshaphat and the southern kingdom of Judah.

But Jehoshaphat was a man of faith. In v12 he looked to the God of the impossible. Listen to his prayer, “O our God, will You not judge them? For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You.” This king of Judah learned the lesson presented by Jesus in Mark 10:27, “With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible.” What was an impossibility for Jehoshaphat was no problem for God.

When Abraham was faced with a seemingly impossible situation in Genesis 18, the Lord presented a rhetorical question, “Is anything too hard for the Lord?” (v14). While the question was asked to make a point, not elicit a response, the prophet Jeremiah gave this response, “Ah, Lord God! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You” (Jeremiah 32:17).

God never has and never will meet His Waterloo. No challenge is too great. No problem too difficult. The same cannot be said for us. We are reminded all too often of the truth of Jesus’ words, “With men it is impossible.” We are made aware of our human limitations on a daily basis. There is only so much we can do. But our God can do anything!

So when you come up against something that threatens to be your Waterloo; when you face an enemy that is stronger or a problem that is greater than you are, look to the God of the impossible. There is nothing too hard for Him!